Effective Teachers Initiative: Designing a

New Teacher Appraisal & Development

System
Board Workshop
April 7, 2011

HISD Executive Sponsors:

Julie Baker, Chief Major Projects Officer
Ann Best, Chief Human Resources Officer
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Agenda

The Need for a Better Appraisal and Development

System
Overview of the Design Process

The Proposed New System

Plan for Implementation

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 Our teachers and principals have made it clear that PDAS does not
meet their needs.

Results: 2010 Survey of 6,279 HISD Teachers and 144 HISD Principals

44% 28% 51% 43%

o f t e a c h e rs s a y of principals say that of teachers say that

t h a t PDAS a llo ws PDAS/MPDAS allows the PDAS process
a p p ra is e rs t o them to accurately helps them
a c c u ra t e ly assess teachers’ improve their
a s s e s s t e a c h e rs ’ instructional instructional
in s t ru c t io n a l performance. performance.
p e rfo rm a n c e .

*The response rate for teachers surveyed was 55%, and the response rate for principals surveyed was 56%.

Source: Surveys of HISD teachers and principals. 3

 Ensuring that there is an effective teacher in every classroom is a
critical part of HISD’s Strategic Direction.

Board of Education
Goals for HISD from the
Declaration of Beliefs and Visions

1 2 3 4 5

Effective Teacher
Effective Principal Culture
Rigorous Instructional Standards
Data Driven
&Supports
Account-ability
in Every Classroomin Every School of Trust through Action

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Effective Teachers Initiative Vision: An effective teacher in every
classroom, delivering high-quality instruction to all students.

Four Key Strategies

Smart recruitment Useful appraisals Individualized teacher supportNew career pathways

Effective Instruction In All Classrooms

Improved Student Learning Outcomes

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Agenda

The Need for a Better Appraisal and Development System

Ove rview of theDesign Process
The Proposed New System

Planning for Implementation

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 Texas State Education Code gives specific guidance for local school
districts developing their own appraisal systems.

DNA (LOCAL) is the district’s policy on its teacher appraisal and development system. It
requires the adoption of a revised policy on the appraisal process and criteria. Texas State
Education Code requires that:

Teacher performance appraisal criteria must be based on observable, job-related

 behavior, including:
1.“teachers' implementation of discipline management procedures”; and
2.“the performance of teachers' students.”

If a district does not utilize the state’s recommended system, it must use an
appraisal process and performance criteria that:
 1.Is “developed by the district- and campus-level committees” established
under state code;
2.Contains teachers’ implementation of discipline management procedures
and the performance of teachers’ students; and
3.Is adopted by the board of trustees.

“The board of trustees may reject an appraisal process and performance criteria
developed by the district- and campus-level committees but may not modify the
process or criteria.”

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From Texas State Education Code Chapter 21, Sub-Chapter H, Sections 351(a)(1)(2), 352(a) and 352(b).
 Teachers, principals and other stakeholders have led a six-month
effort to design a new appraisal and development system.

School-based Shared Submitted recommendations on appraisal criteria

Decision-Making and process; More than 250 SDMCs participated in
Committees (SDMCs) the design process

Working Groups
Built rubrics and other tools needed to implement the
(Teachers, Principals,
new system
Parents, HISD Staff)

Developed final proposal for appraisal process and

District Advisory
criteria based on recommendations from SDMCs and
Committee (DAC)
Working Groups

Provided input on SDMC, DAC and working group

HISD Community and recommendations throughout the design process
Stakeholders

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 Collaboration and transparency were top priorities in the design
process. HISD actively sought feedback from the entire community.

Community Engagement During the Design Process

HISD posted all materials from the HISD held three public meetings to
design process on a dedicated website gather feedback on the draft proposal.
that has logged more than 14,000
visits.
2,655 teachers and 282 appraisers
HISD sent biweekly email updates on completed an online survey on the
the process to all teachers and
principals.
 draft proposal.
40 teachers and 18 principals
HISD read, logged and responded to participated in focus groups to help

 1,100 questions and comments

received by email and via the website.  shape specific aspects of the draft
proposal.

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 Timeline of the Design Process

Sept. - Dec. Dec. - Jan. Feb. - Mar. Apr. - May

SDMCs submit Working groups Public comment Proposal for the new
recommendations begin developing period on the draft system presented to
on the appraisal tools/instruments proposal the
criteria and process Board of Education
SDMCs submit SDMCs and DAC for approval
DAC begins building additional revise
the draft proposal recommendations recommendations Tools/instruments
based on the based on feedback continually refined
SDMCs’ DAC completes the based on
recommendations draft proposal Working groups stakeholder input
continue developing
tools/instruments

In all, the final proposal represents input from…

Parents
2600+ Teachers
500+
Other community
500+ School administrators
500+ members

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Agenda

The Need for a Better Appraisal and Development System

Overview of the Design Process

The Propose d New System

Planning for Implementation

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The proposed system will paint a complete picture of each teacher’s
performance based on multiple measures in three performance criteria.

Student
Three Major Performance Criteria
Performance
Student Performance: Teacher’s
impact on student learning

Instructional Practice: Teacher’s

skills and knowledge that help promote
Instructional student learning
Practice
Professional Expectations: Teacher’s
efforts to meet objective, measurable
standards of professionalism
Professional
Expectations

Teachers will be evaluated based on multiple measures in each performance

criterion. The scores in the three criteria will combine into an overall rating of
Ineffective, Needs Improvement, Effective, or Highly Effective.

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 The proposed system is designed to give all teachers the regular
feedback and individualized support they deserve as professionals.

Focus on Feedback and Development

Three teacher/appraiser conferences

each year will provide teachers with Conferences Individualized
comprehensive feedback on their Formal meetings with Development
performance. appraiser to discuss Learning activities
Appraisers will conduct at least 2 performance, set goals, informed by
classroom observations and at least 2 create and update development plan
walkthroughs throughout the year, development plan
each followed by in-person/written
feedback.
Teachers will work with appraisers to Appraisal and Development Cycle
create an individualized development
plan that identifies specific areas for
professional growth and targeted
learning activities to address them. Self-Reflection Ongoing Feedback
Appraisers will be held accountable for Reflect on Observations and
helping teachers meet their professional performance, student walkthroughs followed by
goals. progress, and formal and informal
professional goals feedback on teaching

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 Proposed Appraisal and Development Timeline

Sept: Beginning-of-Year Conference

Discuss prior year’s outcomes
Set student learning measures and
professional goals
Between Conferences:
Create an individualized development
plan Continuous Feedback and
Individualized Development
Multiple required classroom
Dec – Jan: Mid-Year Conference observations (unannounced) of
Comprehensive feedback on varying lengths, followed by formal
performance, to date feedback
Adjust goals and update development Individualized professional development
plan as necessary activities based on the development
plan
Ongoing, informal feedback based on
additional observations and review of
Apr – May: End-of-Year Conference student data
Comprehensive feedback on Self-reflection
performance, to date
Final performance rating, to date
Set preliminary goals for next year
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 The proposed new system makes major improvements over PDAS.

Current System (PDAS/MPDAS) Proposed New System

Some teachers go years between observations All teachers observed and appraised every year

Appraisals don’t include evidence of individual Appraisals include multiple measures of student
teacher’s contribution to student learning learning, along with ratings in two other major
categories

Requires at least one observation, but a waiver Teachers receive at least two observations and at
under MPDAS allows teachers to go several years least two shorter walkthroughs each year—all
without a formal observation; Feedback not required followed by feedback
after all observations
One conference between teachers and appraisers Three conferences between teachers and
each year (to discuss summative rating) appraisers each year to discuss teacher
performance and plan for development

Professional development is not directly aligned with All teachers receive an individualized professional
the outcomes of a teacher’s appraisal development plan based on specific needs
identified by the appraisal process

Limited accountability and support for appraisers for Appraisers held accountable for accuracy of
conducting accurate evaluations or helping teachers evaluations and success in helping teachers grow
improve professionally; Intensive training and additional
support for principals throughout the year

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Criteria in Focus: Instructional Practice

Instructional Reflects a teacher’s skills and

1 Practice
knowledge that help drive student
learning in the classroom.

Types of Criteria
Instruction (such as, checks for student understanding and responds to student
misunderstanding, maximizes instructional time)
Planning (such as, develops student learning goals, designs effective lesson plans, units,
and assessments)

Sources of Evidence
Such as classroom observations, planning documents, daily interactions with the teacher,
and reviews of certain documents and artifacts (such as, lesson plans, classroom
management plans, grade books, portfolio of student work, etc.). Appraisers will have the
flexibility to use any sources of evidence collected throughout the course of the year that
reflect the criteria. Teachers can also provide additional sources of evidence that they
want to inform their appraisal.


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Criteria in Focus: Professional Expectations

Professional Reflects a core set of objective,

measurable professional expectations
2 Expectations for teachers.

Types of Criteria
Professionalism (such as, complies with policies and procedures at school, collaborates
with colleagues)

Sources of Evidence
Such as classroom observations, planning documents, daily interactions with the teacher,
and reviews of certain documents and artifacts (such as parent communication logs, sign-
in sheets for PLCs, agendas and minutes from team meetings, teacher attendance
records).

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Criteria in Focus: Student Performance

Student Reflects a teacher’s impact on student

learning.
3 Performance
Guiding Principles (Selected)
Multiple measures of student learning for all teachers; all teachers will have at least two
measures of student learning included in their appraisal
No teacher’s measures of student learning will be based solely on value-added data
Specific measures will vary based on the teacher’s subject and grade, with the most
accurate and fair measures used for each subject and grade
Wherever possible and reasonable, measures will be growth- or progress-based measures
of student learning
All measures will be based on end-of-course or end-of-year assessments; formative
assessment will not be used for appraisal purposes
All assessments used to measure student learning for the purposes of appraisal must meet
specific standards around sufficient “stretch” and alignment to curriculum


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Criteria in Focus: Student Performance (continued)

Five Types of Student Learning Measures

Measure Description
1) Value-added growth (e.g., A district-rated measure of the extent to which students’ average
EVAAS) growth meets, exceeds, or falls short of average growth. The
District has contracted with SAS EVAAS to calculate Value-added
2) Comparative growth on district- growth.
A district-rated measure of the extent to which students achieve an
wide EOC/EOY assessments ambitious but feasible amount of growth as determined by
benchmark scores for similar students.
3) Students’ progress on district- An appraiser-rated measure of the extent to which students learned
wide or appraiser-approved an ambitious and feasible amount of content and skills, taking into
EOC/EOY assessments account students’ starting points.
4) Students’ progress using An appraiser-rated measure of the extent to which students learned
culminating, EOC/EOY an ambitious and feasible amount of content and skills, taking into
performance tasks/work products account students’ starting points.
5) Students’ attainment on an An appraiser-rated measure of the proportion of students who
appraiser-approved or district-wide performed at a target level, regardless of their starting points.
EOC/EOY assessment

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 Appraisers will use a simple lookup table to combine scores in the
three categories into a single overall rating.

Determining Summative Ratings

Teachers will earn one of four summative Student Performance

ratings: Ineffective, Needs Improvement,
Effective or Highly Effective. 1 2 3 4

The proposed system uses a lookup table

instead of a one-size-fits-all formula to Instructi 1 I I NI NI
onal
determine summative ratings. Practice
X 2 I NI E E
The lookup table makes the system more Professi
transparent and accessible than using onal
percentage weights, since teachers can Expecta 3 NI NI E HE
tions
easily see what their rating would be
based on a particular combination of 4 NI E E HE
scores in the three criteria categories.

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Under the proposed system, each teacher will have one individual
responsible for his/her appraisal and development.

Appraiser Role and Responsibilities:

Individuals currently permitted to appraise in HISD

Conducts all required observations and conferences
Provides written and verbal feedback
Responsible for ensuring access to development opportunities
Reviews all available sources of evidence to determine a summative
rating for each teacher

ØAll appraisers must be trained and receive certification by HISD in

implementing the new system.
Ø
ØHISD is currently designing a new appraisal system for school leaders
(appraisers) that will align to this new proposed system for teachers.

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The collaborative design process has resulted in a proposed new
system that is good for students, teachers, and taxpayers.

Benefits of the Proposed New Appraisal and Development System

The proposed system will help ensure that all students learn
For students from effective teachers every day—which will significantly
raise student achievement.

The proposed system will give teachers the regular, accurate

feedback they deserve as professionals, and will connect
For teachers them with individualized support that helps them do their
best work in the classroom.

The proposed system will help HISD identify and hold onto
its best teachers and raise the quality of all teaching—
For taxpayers which is more important than ever at a time when HISD is
going to have to do more with fewer resources.

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Agenda

The Need for a Better Appraisal and Development System

Overview of the Design Process

The Proposed New System

Planning for Imple mentation



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HISD has laid the groundwork in planning for successful, district-
wide implementation of the new system.

Training and Support

üIntensive summer training and credentialing of appraisers
üRegular, structured support for appraisers throughout the school year
üStandardized protocols and forms
üProfessional Development office reorganization, including creation of the Teacher
Development Specialist role
üTraining for teachers

Continuous Improvement of the System

üOngoing feedback from key stakeholders for system improvements
Continued outreach to SDMCs and DAC for feedback
Continued use of e-mail updates and dedicated website to collect teachers’ and
appraisers’ questions and feedback on the new system
Teacher and principal surveys

Integrated Data and Technology Platform

üNew performance management tools integrated into PeopleSoft
üElectronic data collection for monitoring and analysis

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For more information, visit www.HISDeffectiveteachers.org.

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